This invention relates to an apparatus for filling containers with a mixture of water and chemicals, and more particularly to such an apparatus that is simple, easily expandable, and modularly adaptable to a variety of operating modes.
Container filling devices are in extensive use in many applications. For example, stringent health regulations in the hotel and restaurant industry often make it necessary, on a daily basis, to fill a large number of spray bottles, mop buckets, and other containers with various types of disinfectant and cleaning solutions. For this purpose, it is customary to provide, in a convenient location, a set of filling devices which, upon actuation of appropriate controls, dispense a stream of water mixed in a built-in venturi with one or more chemicals.
Conventional filling devices of this type have one or more drawbacks in practical use. For example, the water stream is customarily turned on and off by a bulky magnetically toggled pilot valve. Adjacent daisy-chained devices connected by screw-threaded fittings may not be connectable tightly enough to avoid leaks. One-handed operation of the device may be awkward, as may be the filling of a bucket several yards away from the device.
Additionally, if air is allowed to be entrained with the water/chemical stream discharged into the container, many cleaning solutions and other mixtures tend to foam quite strongly. As a result, foam overflows the container even if the container is nowhere near filled with liquid. Consequently, much time is wasted because either the container must be filled unnecessarily often, or the operator must fill the container very slowly.
Another related problem arises from the fact that the venturi devices require an air gap, i.e. a device which breaks any accidental siphon, so as to prevent water in the venturi from flowing back into the public water supply. In practice, the filling apparatus is typically mounted on a wall. Most conventional air gap devices of the type useful in such filling apparatus have a tendency, albeit small, to spit and splash spray water outwardly of the air gap device. This spray, and the resulting drip, is annoying and, over a period of time, tends to damage the wall and make the apparatus unsanitary.
Prior to the present invention, water public safety authorities would only approve for this purpose a completely open air gap device which would cause the above-described foaming, spitting and splashing. With the use of the present invention, applicants have been successful in obtaining local and national water authority approvals for anti-foaming splash proof venturis throughout the United States and many parts of the world.
It is therefore desirable to provide a simple, versatile filling device that can be modularly altered to suit a variety of operating locations and modes, and which can be easily operated from the distal end of a hose at a substantial distance from the device. Additionally, it is desirable to provide an improved device which is simple in construction and operation, but minimizes foaming during mixing of the water/chemical stream.
The present invention overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art by providing, in one aspect of the invention, a small, simple pilot valve arrangement that lends itself to actuation by a small movement of a control on the device or remotely from it. In another aspect of the invention, daisy-chaining of the inventive devices is accomplished by a bayonet arrangement which is highly versatile and is easily kept fluid-tight without requiring close tolerances in positioning the daisy-chained devices. In a third aspect of the invention, the device is so modularly constructed as to be interchangeably operable by various types of controls without changing the control mechanism itself.
In another aspect of the invention, there is provided an anti-foam splash-proof nozzle for filling containers, which comprises an air gap section. The air gap section comprises a hollow barrel having a water inlet and lateral openings, and an elastic sleeve surrounding the barrel and forming therewith a resiliently openable seal. The sleeve, when the seal is opened, defines a water path between the barrel and the sleeve which is directed into the plenum, while at the same time sealing the plenum against ambient air. Additionally, the nozzle comprises a venturi section. The venturi section comprises a venturi, a water inlet from the plenum to the venturi, and a passage for conveying a foam-prone chemical into the throat of the venturi to mix it with water flowing through the venturi. An outlet is adapted to communicate with a container to be filled. The venturi section is comprised of integrally molded plastic. A plenum is disposed between the air gap section and the plenum section, wherein the plenum is in communication with ambient air in the absence of water flow.
The invention, together with additional features and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying illustrative drawing.